Miss Independent
by Nuki's Cupcake
Summary: Whatever happened to that strong shield Rima used to wear that protected her from the annoyances of guys? Oneshot/songfic/Rimahiko.


_Nuki's Note:_

This is a songfic for a newly popular couple at GW, RimaxNagihiko. I started the topic about it and I have to say I'm quite fond of it. So err...ah, for the few of you who don't have anything against Rima, (I know she comes off as mean, but she's actually really adorable) please enjoy :3 The song is Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING

* * *

**Miss Independent**

Rima frowned at the golden sealed envelope that fluttered out of her locker. She titled her head for a possible glance at any boys hiding from her eye. Hastily she fumbled with the letter, ripping it out of its cage and scanning to content. It was nothing different from the rest of the letters she had received. The handwriting was sloppy, barely legible. Attempts at rhyming with poetry and empty compliments were nothing out of the ordinary. Disappointed, Rima shoved the letter in her book bag- that would be its temporary home. Once she walked into her house the next place the letter would be visiting was her trashcan.

_Miss Independent. Miss Self-sufficient. Miss Keep Your Distance  
Miss Unafraid. Miss Out of My Way. Miss Don't Let a Man Interfere, no…_

Granted, having slaves at her will was nice. But digging her way through annoying, love struck fan boys everyday did have its downsides. On top of that, the Guardians were getting screwed up. Suddenly out of the blue there was a new Jack chair, yet another male student to get on her nerves.

Her brow twitched, narrowing slightly at the ground in frustration. She could feel angry eyes of females on her back. The girls might just be more annoying than the boys with their foolish rumors and stupid lies. But it was growing easier to tune them out day after day. After all, they were simply jealous, and Rima knew it.

_  
Miss On Her Own. Miss Almost Grown. Miss Never Let A Man Help Her Off Her Throne  
So, by keeping her heart protected. She'd never ever feel rejected. Little miss apprehensive_

All around her Rima saw love stuck fools. Couples who flirted and laughed like there were no problems in the world. People who acted like being in love was the best thing life had to offer. How stupid, how horribly stupid. She didn't need love to please her- she had slaves, and a lot of them.

So Mashiro Rima held her head high as she exited the somewhat empty hallways of the school and set her way out to the Royal Garden. Kusu Kusu poked her tiny head out of Rima's bag, a large smile planted on her face as usual.

"Rima! Aren't you excited about meeting the new Guardian?" she chirped, her hyper attitude kicking in.

The blonde closed her eyes, breathing a sigh as the little shugo perched upon her shoulder. "Just another male…"

Rima paused in front of the glass building. The sun dared her to go in as its warm rays moved over her body. She squinted in the light, reaching a hand out to open the door. It was cooler inside the Royal Garden. It was also quiet, except for the soft rush of flowing fountains. Immediately she realized that there was no murmur of conversation. That meant she was early and alone. No, not alone, there was an unfamiliar figure sitting at the table. Whether it was a boy or girl she couldn't tell- their hair was too long.

Taking baby steps, Rima approached the table. Whoever he or she was (she was pretty sure it was a he) they smiled kindly at her.

"Hello there, Mashiro-san. I am Fujisaki Nagihiko, your new Jack chair."

_Said ooh, she fell in love_

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Rima asked bluntly, yet softly.

"I'm most certainly a boy." Nagihiko laughed kindly, as if he took her rude question as a joke.

Rima frowned at his smile. There was something weird about his smile. He wasn't a drooling, crazed boy like many other she had seen, and yet he seemed to like her in some odd way. She couldn't put her finger on just what this boy was giving off- and that aggravated her.

She began to take her seat, but Nagihiko stopped her. Gracefully he pulled it out and gestured with his hand for her to sit down. Rima was surprised when he flawlessly push her in, without shoving her up against the table or making her fall out of the chair. Her eyes averted to his face, and he offered her that same kind smile once more. Rima hastily turned away. She didn't like that smile- it stirred something inside of her, something strange.

_What is the feelin' takin' over? Thinkin' no one could open my door  
Surprise...It's time, to feel what's real_

"Thank you…slave." Rima muttered quietly.

Nagihiko cocked his head, his face now folding into something of an amused or confused expression.

"Am I your slave?"

"All men are my slaves." Rima replied as if she were stating the complete obvious.

"Well then…" Nagihiko chuckled, descending to his knees and bowing his head low. "I am honored to be your servant, Mashiro-san."

Rima bit her tongue hard. She was blushing. Why was she blushing?

_  
What happened to Miss Independent?__ No more the need to be defensive. Goodbye, old you. When love is true…_

Nagihiko was worse than any other boy Rima had ever encountered. He just _had _to do everything perfectly. There wasn't one door Rima walked through without Nagihiko holding it open for her, and if she sat within his eyesight, he would rush over to pull out her chair for her. He'd greet her in the morning with a bow, and bid her goodbye with a bow. If she dropped her pencil, or anything, he'd pick it up.

"You're so annoying!"

Rima would yell or shout, but Nagihiko only took her insults with a laugh and one of his kind smiles. Then he'd bow once more and apologize, but it would all start up again the next day. Rima had even told him that he wasn't her slave anymore because he was too annoying, but he wouldn't stop or leave her alone. 

_Misguided heart. Miss play it smart. Miss if you want to use that line you better not start  
But she miscalculated. She didn't want to end up jaded_

Sports weren't Rima's best thing, and she knew it. So just why was she sitting on the ground with a throbbing foot when she could have just stayed out altogether? She had no idea, but she was in fact incapacitated on the dirt with an injured foot. The teacher was glancing around for someone, anyone to take her to the nurse. But she couldn't walk and no girl even got within ten feet of her. And the boys…those stupid boys were all in a furious fist fight over who would take her. Thus, Rima sat on the ground, alone and upset.

"I'll take her to the nurse…"

The blonde yelped at the familiar, easy voice behind her. Her head shot up to find Nagihiko smiling down at her with his usual sweet face. Rima frowned at him, but the teacher gave an OK before she could protest.

Nagihiko swiftly scooped her off the ground. He was taller than he seemed, and Rima fit perfectly in his arms. The boy offered another grin at Rima's disgusted face. However she did not fight him as he walked her up to the school building. Instead she remained calmly in his arms.

_  
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love__. So, by changing her misconceptions. She went in a new direction And found inside she felt a connection_

"Does your foot hurt?" Nagihiko asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course it hurts." Rima snapped.

"Perhaps a kiss would make it better?"

Rima's mouth fell as pink tinted her face. It took her several seconds to regain her harsh attitude and fight back with a retort.

"Don't. You. Dare." She hissed through clenched teeth, prepared to yank at his hair.

Nagihiko laughed awkwardly. "I didn't think you'd give me the pleasure of doing so."

Rima grew warm. She was growing frustrated with this boy. He was annoying and he smiled too much. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

Nagihiko stopped. He seemed confused by her question, and for just a few short seconds, his smile disappeared from his face. But his puzzled expression was soon replaced with something else and he smiled once more as if the answer were something completely obvious that Rima was overlooking. Without warning he leaned closer to her cheek, his lips barely touching her skin.

"Because I like you."

_  
She fell in love._

_What is the feelin' takin' over? Thinkin' no one could open my door (open my door)  
Surprise...It's time (yeah) To feel what's real_

Rima would never refer to Nagihiko as a boyfriend, but she was willing to accept him as a slave. Day by day his little caring habits got just a little less annoying. Her insults slowly declined and she began accepting his gestures with very small and very quiet words of thanks. She no longer whined when he left his own class to sit in lunch with her.

Rumors did spread, and fan boys were left unhappy, not to mention the confusion the two caused at every Guardian meeting, but Rima grew to ignore that as well.

There was one day, one day, when she slipped up of her usual nodding or turning away whenever Nagihiko smiled at her. Without thinking her lips turned up into her own flushed smile. The thrilled look on Naghiko's face led her to realize what she had done and she turned away in horrific embarrassment.

_What happened to Miss Independent? No more the need to be defensive. Goodbye (goodbye), old you (oh you) When love, when love is true_

"Mashiro-san…"

Rima felt her brows narrow. Nagihiko wasn't so annoying anymore, but the name was. What made him think he had to call her by her last name? Were they not friends? Would it kill him to call her by her regular name just once?

And yet…Rima couldn't build up the courage to say anything. It wasn't long before these days that she wouldn't have given a second thought to saying whatever she wanted to the boy. Now she hesitated, and she felt herself becoming...shy around him. No, it wasn't just around him, it was around everyone.

She didn't ignore people anymore, or talk rudely to them. He snobby façade was dying, her stuck up exterior was crumbling, leaving a small child exposed. The idea was even somewhat scary to her, but Rima began to wonder…was Nagihiko changing her?

Was he softening her?

_  
When Miss Independence walked away…No time for love that came her way__.  
She looked in the mirror and thought today  
What happened to miss no longer afraid? It took some time for her to see …How beautiful love could truly be. No more talk of why can't that be me._

"Nagihiko…"

She called softly, placing a small hand on the boy's elbow. He smiled down at her. Several weeks had passed since he had first smiled at her with his lips at that special bend. He certainly had not changed at all- not one bit.

"What is it, Mashiro-san?"

Rima bit her lip, angered as the courage leaked out of her. She brought her eye to Nagihiko's, her lip quivering and brows just barely narrowing.

"No longer call me Mashiro. From now on you are to address me as Rima, and Rima only."

Nagihiko blinked, only allowing a second for confusion. His smile returned with a nod of his head.

"Very well, Rima."

The blonde looked down to hide her blush. Somehow she liked hearing him call her by that.

_  
I'm so glad I finally feel..._

_What is the feelin' takin' over? Thinkin' no one could open my door  
Surprise (surprise), it's time (yeah)__ To feel…__What happened to Miss Independent? No more the need to be defensive. Goodbye (goodbye), old you…_

Rima inhaled through her nose. She was going to do it, she needed to do it. She needed to tell him and she wouldn't allow herself to delay this moment anymore. As she took the familiar path to the Royal Garden, thoughts of him danced in her head. His beauty, his kindness, his love- someone as selfish as her didn't deserve that. And yet from day one, he was by her side, lavishing her with compliments and favors as if she truly were a princess.

She'd never know exactly what led him to come onto her from the beginning. Perhaps he really did start out as another love struck fan boy, one just a little more controlled and smoother than most. Whatever the reason, Rima was secretly happy he liked her. However she quickly wiped away the smile once entering the Garden. Nagihiko looked up at her.

Rima kept her facial expression solid as she neared him, forcing herself to hang on to that last bit of stubborn somewhere in her body.

"Nagihiko…"

"Yes…?"

"What are you?" She held her tongue in waiting for his answer.

"I'm your servant." The boy laughed.

Rima inched closer, nearly crawling on him. "No, you are no longer my servant. You are not my servant. You are not my slave."

She paused, her lips breaking into a smile at Nagihiko's shocked face.

"But you are completely and most definitely _mine_, and mine alone."

_  
When love, when love is true..._


End file.
